


Synchronicity

by extrobox



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Boys Will Be Boys, Drama Drama Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eren is man bun Eren, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, Figure Skater Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Fluff and Humor, Hockey, Hockey Player Eren Yeager, Levi and Petra are friends, Light Angst, M/M, Olympics, Other minor ships to be included, Petra is a good girl and ships it, Romance, Slow Burn, Sports Politics, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, figure skating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27334351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extrobox/pseuds/extrobox
Summary: Japanese Olympic figure skater Levi Ackerman crosses paths with an Olympic hockey player also representing Japan named Eren Jäger. While the two men can't stand to share the same air and space, Levi's partner, Petra, gets into an accident that indefinitely puts her out of the games. With just a couple of months before the Winter Games, along with the Canadian winter, Levi has to work quickly to find a suitable replacement for Petra or risk disqualification and watching the games from the sidelines.
Relationships: Erwin Smith/Mike Zacharias, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Levi/Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman/Jean Kirstein, Oluo Bozado/Petra Ral, Sasha Blouse/Connie Springer
Comments: 23
Kudos: 87





	1. Welcome to the race!

**Author's Note:**

> Come one, come all! Here we are with an Olympic AU! We've got figure skating, hockey, and sports politics to go around for all! Since I'm Canadian, I've decided for this particular story to take place during the 2010 Vancouver Games. I will be following real stats and results that came from the 2010 Games and some tweaks throughout. While I do my best to ensure research is accurate regarding the rules in the Olympics and terminology, not everything will be 100% or unintentional.
> 
> With all of that being said, enjoy!

_Synchronicity (German: Synchronizität) is a concept that states that events are "meaningful coincidences" if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related._

_x_

“Again! One more time!”

Levi took a deep breath, sighing in frustration as he came to the opposite end of the rink, skating backwards as he crossed his ankles, approaching the middle. Erwin was really working them ragged today. Something must have gone wrong during the day for him to be pressing them this hard.

“I feel like this isn’t a productive training session, doing the same jump over and over, Erwin.” Petra nodded in agreement, adjusting her thin gloves that covered her fingers.

“I know, but so far in the program, this lift was the weakest spot. I want to flatten any creases that may cause an error. The Canadians have an ice advantage, but Japan is also fierce in winter sports. We can’t let them take advantage because they’re on home soil.” Erwin flexed and released his bunched-up fingers, looking at the registration forms underneath his hand that had to be sent out by the end of the week.

_2010 Winter Olympic Games._

_Vancouver, Canada._

There were just over 2 and a half months before the opening ceremony. To run them this hard now will cause burnout. Surely Erwin was aware of this. Levi looked to Petra who was stretching her arms overhead and rotating her neck. Levi and Petra had been pair skaters for years together, their work relationship built on being friends for years before ever becoming Olympic competitors. They had come so close in 2006 to winning gold, only to be bumped down to silver by the Russian team. Canada hadn’t taken even third place in Italy, but now that they’re on their own turf they might be facing some serious competition.

Levi rotated on his skates to face Petra, she nodding with a smile as they began the lift they’ve been practicing for an hour now. Erwin would occasionally throw in a curveball and tell them to do their short program, which they have perfected awhile ago now. Levi watched, counting in time as he and Petra skated around each other before she skated towards him backwards, her arms crossed over her chest as she jumped. Her body rotated in time with Levi’s hands, grasping her waist as he lifted her over his head. Her body bent like a bow over his shoulders as they held the position, before slowly lowering her back onto the ice. As soon as her skates connected to the ice, multiple male voices flooded the mostly empty arena, interrupting the sequence.

Levi looked over to Erwin, who glanced back into the hall. He stepped into the hall for a moment, speaking to someone before turning back to face the pair of skaters who stood on the ice questioningly.

“It seems we’ve gone over in our time reserved. The men’s hockey team is here for their practice.”

Petra nodded, running a hand through her slightly damp auburn hair as she lifted her hand, gesturing for a high five from Levi. He returned the gesture, watching her skate off towards the benches. Levi decided to stay on, using every second on the ice to his advantage.

“Erwin! Good to see you.”

Levi looked to the exit that led to the locker rooms, seeing him shaking hands with a bald man. There was some loud laughing and hollering from beyond, distorting any chance of Levi hearing what the two men were talking about. Erwin looked to Levi, waving him over.

“Come, Levi! Our time is up.”

Levi watched as three of the men came out on the ice, looking more like giants than humans. They were laughing about something, still being loud and rowdy. Levi watched their backs, seeing their surnames stitched on their jerseys.

KIRSCHTEIN.

Levi knew Kirschtein. Captain and centerman of the Japanese team. Jean was dating his younger cousin Mikasa but only had met him a handful of times and didn’t really care to get to know the man further. He was obnoxious as he was cocky. His head was full of air, letting his position get to him. But he was talented, and that's about all he had to say about Jean Kirschtein.

SPRINGER.

Never heard of him.

JÄGER.

The two tallest of the three started yelling at each other and the third one, Springer, told them to shut up as he brought out a net from an open door in the boards. Not listening, the other two started shoving each other and that turned into them grabbing each other’s jerseys, getting in each other’s faces.

Levi watched on as if this was some circus routine. _What kind of team is this? And they represent Japan? No wonder Japan never succeeds in hockey._

“Eren! Jean! Stop with the Goddamn theatrics and help Connie get the nets set up, we don’t have all the time in the world to practice!”

Levi looked back to Erwin and the stranger, seeing his loud and booming voice chew out the men. Was that their coach?

Deciding that he had enough, he approached Erwin and the other man. He regarded the two men, glancing over to Petra who was dressed back in her regular attire and boots but was seated in the stands. She waved him over, and he gestured to her that he had to change still.

“Levi, before you go. I’d like for you to meet the coach of the men’s hockey team and a long-time colleague of mine. This is Dot Pixis.” Erwin looked around, then back to Pixis. “Where’s Hannes?”

Levi shook the extended hand, “Nice to meet you.”

Levi heard skating approaching from behind him, then felt the cold chill of shaved ice hitting all along the backside of his legs. With a glower, he looked over his shoulder to see one of the hockey players standing right behind him. It was hard to tell what he looked like entirely with a helmet and plastic visor covering the upper portion of his face, but it had pompous written all over it. Even his eyes held the conceit of a cocky, brutish hockey player.

“Coach, we’re all set up.”

This asshole didn’t even attempt to apologize or acknowledge his presence after rudely aiming shaved ice at him from stopping with his skates. There probably was so much dirt and disgusting germs frozen in the ice and now they were all over his pants. Levi was about to let him have it when Erwin told Levi to step aside to let the rest of the team on the ice. Realizing that he was indeed standing right in front of the open door to the ice, he moved to the side, flustered, as the rest of the team ascended on the ice like a bunch of boors. Pixis followed his team onto the ice with a stick in his hands and clipboard under his arm. He gave Erwin a wave, wishing him the best in the games.

Levi looked back to the one Pixis called Eren, seeing him skate away with his surname branding in his brain like some kind of disease. Levi looked away, turning to retreat to the locker rooms and not giving Erwin a single glance. As he approached the empty locker room, a blonde male came rushing out of the locker room opposite from his, cursing as he went. Levi watched as he stopped at the entrance to the rink, giving Erwin a quick greeting as Erwin was leaving.

Levi pointed to the man, not even vocally questioning who that was.

“That’s Hannes, assistant coach. Running late I guess.”

Levi shrugged, moving into the locker room. He sat down with a groan, and almost immediately began to untie his black skates. His feet were sore beyond belief. He made an internal reminder to visit Hange for therapy on one of his days off.

“What was that back there?”

Levi didn’t pause at Erwin’s question, continuing to loosen and untie his skates. He removed one, lifting it into his lap to clean the excess ice and liquid to prevent rusting.

“Going to have to be more specific than that, Erwin.”

“You were radiating murder.” Erwin pointed out, laughing at the end of his sentence.

With both skates off and clean, Levi proceeded to put on his boots, stringing those back up as well.

“Well, you tell me, Erwin, if aiming your shaved ice at somebody is a good start when meeting someone. The ice is disgusting and full of who knows what, and now I plan on going home to wash those pants and shower.”

Erwin chuckled, getting up alongside Levi as the two friends exited the locker room. “Watch a bit of the practice with us, Oluo’s friend Eld is on the team and Petra wanted to speak to him.” Levi didn’t reply, simply following Erwin in silence. Oluo was Petra’s husband, also a participant in the Olympics as an alpine skier. He had already departed for Canada a couple of weeks ago, claiming to want to accustom to the hills and train in the Canadian winter. Canada was sometimes known to have about as bad winters as Russia, and Petra thought he was insane for wanting to spend more time out there than needed. Levi didn’t mind the cold of winter, but subjecting yourself to it was nothing short of madness.

“Pixis has a good team going on for the games this time around. He thinks they have a chance at the top three.” Erwin said, cutting the quiet moments later.

Levi grunted as they entered the rink again, walking around the ice to meet Petra in the stands.

“They didn’t even qualify in Italy. Let’s hope he’s got as good of a team that he claims. He’s talking big considering the circumstances of the games this time around.”

“Aa.” Erwin nodded in agreement, knowing what Levi was getting at. America and Canada tended to be the powerhouses when it came to hockey in the Olympics. Sweden was starting to show some promise as well. Taking a seat between Petra and Erwin, they watched as Pixis barked out to his team as they all crowded in the middle of the rink. It was easy to spot Eld, his back turned to the stands with his surname JINN on his back.

“What did you need to speak to Eld about, Petra?” Levi questioned as she texted away on her phone.

“I was going to ask when Eld planned on going overseas. If it’s within a good time, we could both go with him and get practice over there as well. I’ve never been to Canada, I’m quite excited!” Both Erwin and Levi looked at Petra with skepticism at her enthusiasm. Petra would have gone with her husband, but where Oluo competed individually, Petra and Levi were a pair. They always had to practice together.

“We’re not there to be tourists, Petra.”

Petra scoffed at Levi’s remark, waving him off with a roll of her eyes.

“You’re always so serious, taking time for ourselves is equally as important as training. Plus, you know how it works, there’s a 14-hour difference we have to adjust to!”

Levi sighed, already regretting getting her going. But she wasn’t wrong either. While in Italy, there only was an 8-hour difference. They were going overseas now, with 14-hours in between. It was going to be rough adjusting. This was Levi’s and Petra’s 4th Olympic competition and the first time they had to travel so far.

 _China, Italy, and Greece._ Levi thought to himself as he watched the players pass pucks back and forth while doing routine workouts and training. Levi jumped when a loud _‘thud!’_ echoed through the arena, resulting in a few of the players laughing.

Someone jokingly did a slap shot, sending the puck thundering against the boards.

“Okay, okay, enough of that. Make two lines, you’ll take turns shooting on Reiner and Bertolt then rotate.”

Levi watched as the team did as they were told, two lines facing either end of the rink where the goalies were in net.

_Jesus, they were even bigger than the players themselves._

Having enough of sitting around, Levi got to his feet.

“Are you leaving, Levi?” Erwin questioned. Levi nodded in return. “My legs are cold and I’m tired. I’ll see you guys in the morning.”

“Bye Levi!” Petra called as Levi made his way towards the stairs, waving to his partner as he walked down the steps. The players on the ice would take a shot, and round the net and skate to the back of the line and repeat.

Levi pretended not to notice the eyes of number 10 on him as he skated past Levi’s retreating figure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Just your luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 everyone! 
> 
> *Stirs the shit-show pot*
> 
> Enjoy!

If there was one thing that Levi was absolutely never good with, it was mornings.

In truth, Levi had a hard time sleeping, to begin with. The fact only made it worse when he knew that he had only gotten several hours of sleep before a glimpse of light would peek through his window.

Levi wished he could drink coffee, he really did. It just made him feel like shit instead. Which is why he preferred to drink tea whenever he could. Some kinds of tea had more caffeine than coffee anyway.

Exiting a nearby coffee shop with a hot tea in his hands, Levi slung his skate bag further onto his shoulder as he started to make his way towards the arena. Morning practices were a bother, but at least by the end of it all, he felt like he accomplished something with so much left in the day.

As Levi came to a stoplight, he pulled out his phone. The time read 7:45am. He had exactly 15 minutes to get to the arena and get warmed up, an ample amount of time from where he currently stood.

There also was a text from Petra.

_Petra: I’m on my way over, I might be a bit late though I was having car trouble…_

Levi sighed, pocketing his phone as he made his way across the street. He was grateful for living in the downtown area of Tokyo, it saved him from having to drive or even take transit. The arena was a simple 20-minute walk from his apartment. Walking at a casual pace, Levi recalled Petra’s excitement and curiosity for going overseas. He too felt the nervous excitement for entering a country he never visited before, but it was quickly overshadowed by nerves about the competition in general. It was a normal thing to feel, and Levi found the closer and closer he got to the games the less nervous and more excited he felt.

Approaching the arena, he could see that the front lot was already almost full, indicating that people were already there. Perhaps they had practice beforehand?

Levi crossed the parking lot, shielding his neck under his jacket from the sudden rush of cold air breezing by. Making a quick jog to the front doors, Levi finally was surrounded by the warmth of indoors and not the frigid, cold air from outside. He didn’t spot Petra’s car in the parking lot, which meant that she likely was still on her way over. While Erwin was fully capable of driving, he too walked over to the arena as it’s within walking distance from his home.

As Levi passed the glass barrier that let people see inside the rink without actually being exposed to the chill, he saw the mountain men for the second time. It was the hockey team that had practice prior. Levi kept on walking, making his way towards the locker room. If Erwin was already here, he’ll likely be in the locker room waiting for them.

Turning down the hall that held the locker rooms, Levi indeed heard Erwin. He passed the entrance that led to the rink, and surely enough Erwin was there, talking to Pixis again. Levi gave a half-hearted wave, continuing along.

Walking into an empty locker room, he still could hear the loud voices of the Japanese team on the ice, sticks clattering against the ice as they shot pucks away. His brain reluctantly recalled the events from the day prior, wanting to lob that Jäger kid over the head for spraying him with ice. Is that seriously how he greeted new people? It seriously was bugging Levi more than it should. Sometime soon, he’ll give him the earful he deserved. Disrespectful little shit.

Skates on, clothing changed, Levi exited the locker room once again. As he turned the corner, Petra was coming down the hall in a flustered hurry, waving and greeting Levi in a loud exhale of exhaustion.

“My stupid car needed a boost this morning and had to wake up my neighbours, such a pain! I’ll be ready shortly!”

Levi watched on in amusement as Petra continued on, talking but not stopping her rushed pace as she entered the locker room. Sometimes she reminded him of Hange, but nowhere as hyper as the physiotherapist. Hange was the team physiotherapist and has been since their first competition. Highly reliable but also very eccentric and sometimes downright frightening, Hange was a bag of mixed tricks that took some time accustoming to. But when it came to the wellbeing and physical health of the athletes, there was nobody better for the job than Hange.

Levi entered the rink, this time properly greeting Erwin. Pixis had gone back onto the ice to speak to the team goalies as the rest of the team continued with their practice.

“You’re early.” Erwin pointed out, moving to sit down on a bench. Levi shrugged, tapping his guarded skate against the boards. “Petra is just getting in now too, she thought she was going to be late because of car problems.”

Erwin chuckled, reaching for his clipboard as he looked through a few sheets.

“I’m going to send the registration forms off tonight, so after that, all you and Petra will need to do is make sure your travelling documents are valid and to get a final checkup by Hange before we depart. Petra spoke to Eld and he said that he didn’t plan on leaving until the end of January with the rest of the team.”

Levi nodded, noticing that the players on the ice were starting to wrap things up. His eyes fell on number 10, seeing fully that the jersey belonged to Jäger. His eyes continued to follow him around the ice. While he lacked the elegance and class of a figure skater, he did have the speed and skill on the ice needed in order to play hockey. He finished a round of suicide drills, stick gliding across the ice with him as he slowed down to a casual skate. He then reached for the strap holding his helmet down, unbuckled it and then removed it with one hand, resting the helmet on his stick. Levi’s eyes widened, not prepared for the unlawful face this conceited asshole bore.

His face and hair were drenched with sweat, no doubt from the continuous suicide drills they furiously were shucking out. Brown hair tied at the nape into a bun that was falling out at the seams with stray hairs sticking to his neck and face. Levi knew he had to look away or else someone, _anyone,_ would see him blatantly staring at this Hell-sent man skating in front of him.

Forcing himself to look away, Levi heard Petra approaching, Hange in tow. Levi regarded the two women, nodding in welcome as Erwin rose to his feet to kiss Hange’s cheek in polite greeting. Half-listening to the conversation between his three friends, Levi looked briefly back onto the ice and saw that he was skating directly towards him. Levi tried to smother his expression, but his widening eyes gave it away. Levi’s eyes skirted away in unfamiliar anxiety, looking back quickly and _dear God_ his heart did a gallop at the wide ass smile this guy was giving him. Nobody on this Earth needed looks like that, from his moss-green eyes that gave him an almost feminine look despite his stature to that smile that was still plastered across his lips. He knew exactly why Levi was staring, and he had no problems in flaunting it.

_Cocky, sonofabitch._

* * *

Eren skated towards the boards, ready for practice to be over. Pixis had been riding them hard the last several practices, their scrimmage games weren’t much better either. They qualified this time around, but just barely. They really needed to pick up the pace if they planned on getting any medals at all in Vancouver.

Eren’s eyes fell on the exit to the locker rooms, intent on getting changed, having a long ass shower, and then maybe heading down to Druxy’s later on with Jean since they had the day off tomorrow.

Skating towards the boards, he spotted a familiar face staring holes into his face.

_Ah, the figure skater._ _Heh._

He looked like he downright wanted to rip his head off. Eren resisted the urge to laugh, it was almost too funny. He didn’t mean to aim shaved ice at him, and he knew that he fucked up when the figure skater looked over his shoulder with absolute murder. He had to use everything in him to not laugh then either. Coming to a stop, and making sure he didn’t send shaved ice flying this time, he got off the ice to stand on proper ground.

He came to a pause, regarding the figure skater who was now looking away. Eren arched a brow. Even on skates, he still towered over the lithe skater. The padding and equipment didn’t help either. Now that he was able to see him up and close instead of being glared at from a distance, he was quite easy on the eyes as well. His silver eyes were hardened, like a fighter. Competitive.

Eren liked that.

Eren continued on his way, exiting the rink while feeling the figure skater’s eyes on the back of his neck. He couldn't help but wonder if the figure skater was into men or not, despite how much the figure skater probably hated his guts. Eren chuckled to himself. He didn't really make a good first impression either. Maybe next time he should actually talk to him instead of letting him glare at him like an angry child. 

Some of the team was already in the locker room, half changed and whatnot. Eren leaned his stick up against the wall alongside the many others placed there. Stopping at his cubicle, Eren sat down, hanging his helmet up on a hook.

“Those figure skaters think they own the rink, all dainty and shit.”

Eren rested his forearm on his padded knee, looking at his best friend and captain as if he were an idiot. _Outside of hockey, he was an idiot._

“Your girlfriend is a figure skater, you stupid idiot.”

Jean waved his hand in front of his face as he applied skate guards to his blades before putting them in his bag. Mikasa was in a long-term relationship with Jean. Just over 5 years together and counting. Eren thought it a miracle that she put up with Jean in general for so long.

He supposed that he had no room to talk either, playing atom together and growing up in the same rinks. Going to school together, the usual. They just kind of stuck together like a couple of goofballs after high school.

“It’s different for girls. You actually want to see girls being all dainty and flexible.” Jean paused, eying Eren and flicking water at him. Eren cursed, throwing his sweaty towel at Jean, the towel landing right on his face. Jean started laughing, tossing the towel back at him.

“Unless you’re Eren, of course. Who also smells like feet.”

“That tends to happen after a 2-hour hockey practice…” Eren grumbled, tossing the towel into his bag. Jean chuckled, agreeing, as the room flooded with more players. Connie, Eren’s counterpart and other forward, Eld and Gunther, the team defensemen and Marco came in all at once like a hurricane, finding their respective cubicles and began undressing. Finally, Pixis followed in shortly after with Reiner, Bertolt, and with Hannes and Armin in tow. Reiner was the team goalie, with Bertolt as a backup.

Eren slung on his boots, heavy steel toes weighing his feet to the ground as he strung them up. Usually, coach would come in and discuss strategy and small reminders, but he seemed to be solely focused on the pair of goalies and Armin today. Armin wasn’t actually on the team per se, he was the team physiotherapist. It was his job to make sure that the team was in good shape and not injured. He also helped players with drills and workout routines to keep them in top shape. In Reiner’s and Bertolt’s cases, they needed to remain as flexible as possible.

Taking this as a sign that he could go, Eren was in the midst of slinging his bag over his shoulder when the blonde that was talking to coach earlier came barreling into the locker room.

“Pixis! I need you on the ice right now!”

Heads all looked to the door, and Pixis handed Reiner his clipboard, gesturing for Armin to follow him as they quickly left the locker room. Eren looked to Jean, then to the rest of the locker room in equal parts confusion. Something serious?

Armin came running back in, grabbing his pack, and not even giving anyone a chance to speak before he was out of the locker room once more. He looked alarmed, his face all business.

“Someone definitely fell,” Jean commented as he zipped up his bag. Eren’s brow creased, definitely not in concern as he looked to the open door, hearing voices yelling from the rink. Ditching his bag, he exited the locker room, ignoring the calls of his teammates as he approached the rink. Just as he entered the cooler atmosphere, his eyes were greeted by something nobody that uses the ice ever wants to see.

The girl with auburn hair, the one that was familiar with Eld was on her ass on the ice, screeching in pain. Armin and another unfamiliar woman with purple hair were tending to the fallen figure skater. Pixis, the blonde man, and the male figure skater were standing off to the side. The short figure skater, in particular, looking stressed to high hell as he skated back and forth.

“Don’t move it! It hurts too much!” She wailed, unable to move the entire ankle at all. Her face was all red, tears streaming down her face. The pain must have been agonizing. By the looks of it, it probably was worse than just a broken or fractured ankle.

“I know Petra, but we have to remove the skate or else the swelling will constrict the skate against the injury.” The purple-haired lady commented, looking to Armin. “Do you have fabric scissors? We’re going to have to cut this skate off.”

Soon enough, paramedics entered the rink as well, Eren watching from the boards as they came across on the ice to assist.

Noticing someone beside him, he spotted Eld come out, his eyes wide with horror before also going onto the ice, pulling out his phone in the process.

_“Oluo?”_

Eren didn’t hear the rest of what Eld was saying, or who he was calling as he approached Pixis, the blonde and the figure skater.

Huffing in exasperation, Eren ran a hand through his hair, exiting the rink to grab his bag and head home. He needed a bloody shower.

To say that he was the one having a rough day now, would be absolutely impudent. Returning to the locker room, everyone was already gone. His bag was placed on the bench instead of on the floor where he left it. He grabbed it and was preparing to leave when Eld came out of the rink. He spotted Eren, giving him a worried look before turning away to continue talking on the phone. Taking it as a sign that he wasn’t needed or shouldn’t linger, Eren made his way to exit the arena for the day, trying to bury away the agonized cries of the figure skater in the process. By the looks of it, based on them practicing at this arena alone gave them away as Olympic competitors. By the sounds of it, the girl was probably going to be missing out.

That, sucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. When life gives you lemons...

The air had turned bitter the closer morning came to the afternoon, despite it being clear and the sun shining brightly over the city horizon.

For Eren, that usually wouldn’t be a problem as he’d normally have a car to drive. Unfortunately, his car decided to conk out and he just hadn’t gotten around to getting it fixed yet. It really wasn’t high on his list of priorities as he could just take transit to the arena and back to his apartment. Also, he was short on money. Rent and bills came first or else he’d be sleeping in that broken-down car too.

_With no heat,_ he muttered to himself as a gust blew right through his coat, chilling him to the bone as he waited for the bus. It probably would have been a good idea to shower back at the arena, but the showers there were pretty dated and…they looked gross. Who willingly showered in public showers? Eren would sweat buckets during practice and would still always go home to shower.

_Yeah, rent, bills, then hockey._

The Olympic season was always the worst, he’d have to go out and buy new equipment for the season, save up for when he had to travel and update his documents so he could travel…It was generally a nightmare and the payout in return wasn’t exactly what he’d call a good exchange.

_All for the love of the sport,_ he shrugged to himself as he stuck his hands deeper into his jacket pockets, seeing the bus making its approach. As the bus came to a stop, he went shovelling for his wallet to grab his bus card before boarding. Some people liked to take their sweet, glorious time by getting on the bus then rummaging through their belongings to find their bus fare, card, whatever they used. The only time it made sense was if it was an elderly person or if your hands were full of bags.

Came with the city life, really.

Eren walked to the back of the bus, being sure not to hit anyone with his bag before taking a seat and pulling out his headphones to listen to music while resting his bag beside him. His bus ride was about 20 minutes long, he’d get off across from the hospital and walk up the main road to his complex.

_Hospital…_

Eren thought back to the events that happened that morning at the arena. That woman definitely did more than just sprain her ankle. Did she land wrong? He had no idea, but whatever happened, she fucked up her ankle bad.

Eren continued to watch the city pass as the bus drove through busy streets, thinking about the figure skaters’ partner. He looked stressed as hell, understandably. He already looked pissed off at the world when he saw him when he arrived, this just made it ten times worse for him. The bus came to a stop, Eren rising from his seat and thanking the driver before exiting the second set of doors of the bus. The cold hit him hard and quick, wanting nothing more than to get back home and to take a nice, long shower. Eren briefly cast a glance at the hospital before sticking his cold hands in his pockets once more and starting to walk in the direction towards his apartment.

He heard yelling, looking over in the direction of the hospital once more, realizing that it was the same male figure skater freaking out on his phone. Eren slowed his pace, but kept walking, trying to listen to what he was saying on the phone. He really shouldn’t be eavesdropping like this, but his curiosity was piqued.

_“Erwin, she can’t compete, period. It’s that fucking bad.”_

Eren’s slow pace came to a complete halt, watching as the figure skater frustratingly ran a hair through his inky locks, brushing the shaved undercut as let out a frustrated growl. The conversation ended, him ending the call with a deep frown on his face. Realizing that someone else was there, he looked up to see Eren approaching him. His frown deepened into a rather offensive scowl as Eren slung his hockey bag in front of him, holding the forward strap as he continued his approach.

“What the hell do you want?” Levi snapped, sticking his phone in his jacket pocket. He still was in his skating clothes, Eren noticed. “I saw what happened,” Eren cleared his throat, shuffling on his heavy boots. “I hope your friend is okay, taking a bad fall like that.”

“She was supposed to be my partner for the games. She tore her Achilles tendon from an improper landing after a jump.” Eren grimaced. A torn tendon guaranteed months off the ice. And sometimes longer after surgery; it all depended on the tear itself. The silence between them was awkward and uncomfortable. Eren sucked on his bottom lip, not sure what to say after that news as he stared at a random spot awkwardly. Levi also didn’t know what else to say. Why the hell was this guy here anyway? Levi looked to the hockey player, seeing that he still had his bag with him.

“You came here from the arena?” Levi asked.

Eren shook his head, thumb pointing to the bus stop. “I’m stuck with transit until I can get my car fixed. Not really a big deal-” Eren’s sentence was cut off as his mouth opened and he let out a long yawn. “Anyways, I should leave now. I’m in desperate need of a shower. I hope your friend makes a speedy recovery and is able to skate again.” Eren just about turned his back to Levi before he told him to wait. Eren looked over his shoulder, green eyes inquiring.

“Why did you come here? You could have just kept walking.” Levi asked, guarded, but curious all the same. Eren shrugged, yawning again as he turned away, waving his hand as he left. Levi frowned at the lack of reply from the hockey player. Despite his concern, he still was a cocky jackass. He carried it everywhere he went.

“Your partner was in a lot of pain back there, a tendon tear takes a lot of time to heal. I was just concerned. I wish you both the best, Levi.” Levi’s head snapped to Eren, eyes boring into the back of his head. How the hell did he know his name? Levi huffed, running a hand through his hair before turning on his heel to make his way back inside the hospital.

What an infuriating bastard.

* * *

Erwin sighed, resting his back against his small couch. It had been a long day, between Petra injuring herself and himself having to calm Levi down afterwards. After all of that, he had to go to the Olympic office further in the city to see how much time he had exactly before the registration deadline. While he was there, he was shocked to see Historia Reiss, the commissioner of the IOC or the International Olympic Committee with her assistant Ymir. He didn’t get the chance to speak to her as the commissioner was a rather busy woman especially with the Games coming up so shortly. He was shocked she was in Japan, to begin with, and not already over in Canada.

Erwin tilted his head back against the back of the couch, only to come face to face with Mike. He arched a brow inquisitively at his lover’s frustrated expression. He didn’t even have to ask before Erwin spoke.

“Levi’s partner Petra tore her Achilles tendon. She landed improperly on her skate when landing a jump and Levi is freaking out.”

Mike came around with two small glasses with ice and whiskey in hand, handing one off to Erwin who thanked him earnestly, before sitting down on the couch across from where Erwin was sitting.

“He said that he was going to make some calls tomorrow to see if he can find a replacement. Of course, this happens right when I was about to send off the registration forms. The deadline is fast approaching, and he doesn’t have much time.” Erwin ran a hand through his blonde hair, sighing as he brought the glass to his lips to take a small sip.

“Petra is going to need a minimum of 6 months for recovery post-surgery.”

Mike’s eyebrows rose at that proclamation. “It’s that bad of a tear?”

Erwin nodded, looking rather spooked himself. “It was a nasty fall, she was doing a salchow and when she landed her ankle gave out, hence the tear. It probably happened when she landed right off the bat. And she was in a world of pain, you probably could hear her screaming from outside.”

Mike grimaced, feeling bad for the girl. It wasn’t like Petra had a lot of weight on her either, tears like that usually came from sports or activity that involved a lot of jumping or quick starting and stopping. It was a common injury in ice sports and one of the most painful and difficult recoveries as well.

“I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen. Levi has…a week to find someone. And the time crunch to learn the routines is…” Erwin trailed off, his expression darkening. It wasn’t looking great for the Japanese figure skaters. Just as Erwin was going to take another sip of his drink, his phone began buzzing on the coffee table in front of him. He looked to his ringing device, debating on answering. It literally depended on who was calling him at this point.

_Levi._

Erwin took in a deep breath, reaching for his phone and clicking talk.

“Erwin here.”

Erwin placed his glass down before leaning back again to listen to what Levi was telling him. Mike sat quietly and listened.

_“I’m just leaving the hospital with Hange now she’s bringing me home. I’m going to call Mikasa tomorrow and see if there’s any possibility she can help.”_

Mikasa, Levi’s younger cousin was also a competitor in this year’s games. She was also a figure skater but completed in the ladies’ singles’ division for Japan. This was her second Olympic event. At first reluctant to compete, she finally was convinced to compete by Jean. The Ackerman’s were a rather well-known name in the Olympics, between Levi and Mikasa in figure skating and Levi’s uncle who was well-known in the hockey division prior to his forced retirement. Erwin remembered hearing about that one from Levi himself.

“Mikasa? I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Levi, I’m not even sure how close the sections are for competing. Don’t even think there’s a schedule yet.”

It was silent on the other line for a couple of moments, the sounds of doors opening and closing. Erwin heard Levi cussing Hange out for some reason or another before he was back in the conversation.

_“I’ll figure it out. Thanks for the words of positivity and encouragement eyebrows.”_

Erwin chuckled, shaking his head as he watched Mike get up, taking their glasses to the kitchen. When Mike left, Erwin’s expression grew serious as the gears in his brain worked overtime to tell Levi this piece of information.

“Listen, Levi, if you still plan on competing, you need someone by mid-next week. The registration deadline is Friday, and even after that, we’re going to have to train your new partner, whoever it is. Mikasa would be an excellent fit as she’s familiar with figure skating and the ice in general. Let’s just hope she’s willing or the time allows it. Someone who knows the ice, Levi. That’s all we need.”

_“Aa. Yeah. We’ll talk tomorrow.”_

Levi didn’t say anything further and hung up. Erwin didn’t blame him, Levi wasn’t a man of many words, to begin with. He only spoke when he felt like it, and even then there were little to no words. Erwin’s eyes fell on the stack of papers sitting on the coffee table. He had both Levi and Petra’s forms filled out but now beside Petra’s name was a giant question mark.

Perhaps maybe he could speak to Pixis tomorrow if he saw him in the arena. He didn’t really get the chance to speak to him with all the chaos going on, maybe he’d be able to give him some tips. Erwin’s eyes went back to Petra’s registration form again, wondering if he’ll be having nightmares tonight involving question marks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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